Purchasing The Correct Floor Jack

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TexasCrane said:
LOL. "Don't skimp when lifting a vehicle" coming from the guy with HF jack stands and jacks. My general rule of thumb is don't buy anything from HF that could kill you if it breaks. And jacks/jack stands definitely fall into that category.

Here's somebody that learned that the hard way: The bitch tried to kill me
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Many of the harbor freight jacks have very high ratings and I believe are rebranded and also sold through places like amazon and various other locations, again carrying that high rating. I have had the 1.5 ton aluminum jack from HF for about 5 years and it's been flawless. Use that on our BMWs due to it's low profile. I also have the 4 ton jack from HF to lift our larger vehicles, again, has performed flawlessly.

Regarding the link about the collapsed jack stand, the guy clearly states he's using a 3ton jack stand which has a working load of half that? Seems a little small for full size SUV duty.

So in my opinion, expecting a 3 ton jack (that's rated at half that individually) to support a full size SUV = stupid. Expecting a block of wood shoved between a jack and frame to hold up a full size SUV = stupid.

Is using highly rated jacks and 6 ton jack stands from HF to lift and support a full size SUV considered stupid? You can come to your own conclusion but I feel very safe when using this equipment.
 
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duggy said:
It sounds like you were really young and dumb and using the 4x4 vertically instead of horizontally. Some common sense plays a good role into this. I've done some pretty stupid stuff when I was younger also so I can understand that these are lessons learned, but disagree that using blocks of wood (correctly) is not a smart way to gain some elevation out of your floor jack.
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It's quite possible!! I just remember it scared the $hit out of me and swore I'd never do it again. I just have a hard time recommending something that I have seen fail, first hand, in the past.
 
Sandroad said:
I disagree. If you don't already have a floor jack for your 100 series, buy one that fits your lifting and weight needs to begin with. That's much better than relying on ad hoc "spacers" that can break, slip, tip, or transfer lifting force to places it shouldn't be.
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Yes, if you don't already have a jack then you can spend extra $ and get a jack that lifts a few inches higher, or you can use a wood block and save the bucks. Wood blocks work fine for lifting purposes even though they are out of your comfort zone. If I were the OP I wouldn't throw away a considerable amount of $ finding a jack that can lift a few extra inches and instead spend it on a good set of 12-ton+ jackstands.

I wonder what you would do if you had a long travel A-arm race truck with 3 feet of travel at home and no lift or forklift... would you search for a floor jack that lifts 5 feet? haha
 
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duggy said:
It sounds like you were really young and dumb and using the 4x4 vertically instead of horizontally. Some common sense plays a good role into this. I've done some pretty stupid stuff when I was younger also so I can understand that these are lessons learned, but disagree that using blocks of wood (correctly) is not a smart way to gain some elevation out of your floor jack.
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For one of my birthdays one of my buddies made me a life size yenga out of 2x4's all exactly cut to 12" and a table it was like 30 or 40 pieces, lots of fun at the party more than that I've used those things hundreds of times when wrenching. Including adding height, of course flat and cross staggered at least 3 wide.

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duggy said:
Next they'll be asking why your Jenga blocks are so oily! @savirc
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They have actually. I tell them I do dirty things with them....
 
Most of the jack stands everyone is talking about are all made in China. Its likely that only a few factories make the stands which are then all private labeled. I don't think the HF will be much different than the other Chinese made stands of the same capacity. Actually HF probably a better option only because they probably have better liability insurance than the mail order stands since they have retail stores nationwide. So should you be unlucky enough to have a failure and you are fatally injured, your wife might have some recourse.....:hillbilly:

I like redundancy, and over kill, 12ton stands on the frame ends, sometimes adding 6t stands on the cross members, and usually a 3.5ton jack locked just under the lift point (back up, for back up). Unnecessary, yeah probably. Call me paranoid, but when your lying underneath 6,000lbs, with the front half lifted 20" in the air trying to torque 170 ftlb nut with a 3 foot long torque wrench that you're pushing or pulling with a tremendous amount of force, it just feels a bit sketchy.
 
abuck99 said:
Most of the jack stands everyone is talking about are all made in China. Its likely that only a few factories make the stands which are then all private labeled. I don't think the HF will be much different than the other Chinese made stands of the same capacity. Actually HF probably a better option only because they probably have better liability insurance than the mail order stands since they have retail stores nationwide. So should you be unlucky enough to have a failure and you are fatally injured, your wife might have some recourse.....:hillbilly:

I like redundancy, and over kill, 12ton stands on the frame ends, sometimes adding 6t stands on the cross members, and usually a 3.5ton jack locked just under the lift point (back up, for back up). Unnecessary, yeah probably. Call me paranoid, but when your lying underneath 6,000lbs, with the front half lifted 20" in the air trying to torque 170 ftlb nut with a 3 foot long torque wrench that you're pushing or pulling with a tremendous amount of force, it just feels a bit sketchy.
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Another redundancy that I usually do is to put the wheel under the car. I am sure it probably will bent the wheel if the LC falls on top of it, but much better alternative than getting fatally crushed.
 
I use harbor freight 16000 plastic ramps and the 6 ton jack stands along with 3 ton rapid lift. Have for the last 5 years. I am waiting for the lift to have issues then I will upgrade to 4 ton lift. For my personal garage needs HF is just fine from a cost stand point
 
The jack/axle stands look like they may be a bit tall when collapsed for my taste (I have other, lower vehicles) The jack looks decent, too.

I got lucky had grabbed floor demo Lincoln 2 1/2 ton floor jack years ago, it is nice.

If you are worried about the jack failing and falling on top of you, you ain't doing it right.
 
AC Hydraulics for me. I have two of their floor jacks. Very high quality. Best part is you can lower the vehicle slowly and carefully. I have lots of jack stands and double up with them.

I've had bad experiences with cheap floor jacks in terms of lowering vehicles. Not a fan....
 
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